Thursday, September 28, 2017

Baby Fogue {37 Weeks}

It's official!!! Today marks full term for Baby Wes and his eviction can be pending any day now. To say I'm excited/relieved/nervous as heck for this stage is an understatement. I'm a bag full of emotions.

Oh and I noticed we have a full moon coming up on the 5th of October, I have my eye on you! Let's get on to this week's happenings as I wait for go-time.

Baby Size: Ready to make his debut, Baby Wes is clocking in around 6.17 pounds and 18.9 inches long. Approximately the size of Aspen when she was born. This weeks veggie is a bit of a reach, supposedly he is about the size of a head of Romaine Lettuce, but I've never seen a 6 pound head of lettuce, have you?

Symptoms: This weeks symptoms list has grown significantly. Still struggling with Syatica, I can now add more frequent and painful contractions going all the way into my back, much more frequent bathroom breaks and a head cold that won't go away. So many more symptoms pointing to the sign of labor soon.

Currently Missing: The ability to breath!

Sleep: I broke my personal record of wake ups last night with 7. Between the more frequent bathroom trips and not being able to breathe and coughing, my sleep is even more limited these days.

Cravings and favorite foods: I'm guessing cravings are officially back, this week I've had the strongest urge for an Antie Anne's Pretzel with cheese sauce. Does anyone want to indulge the pregnant lady?

Mood: Crabby.

Maternity clothes: None existent these days. I discovered a hole in the belly of the only shirt I have left, my pants are starting to fray from being stretched out and none of my shoes fit comfortably. I really should call into work fat and stay home in the only pair of PJs I could muster up out of Chris' side of the closet.

Buying: So the rug from last week finally arrived and it was the wrong color. We have a new one coming that I hope arrives before baby brother. Other than that, just a few smaller items to finish out the nursery from my registry completion coupons and gift cards.

Aspens Reaction: This week Aspen has become much more clingy to me than she has been. She cries out for me often and begs me not to leave her. It breaks my heart that she doesn't quite grasp what's coming but I know once we get there, she will be in love! Other than this, she loves helping me with baby chores like washing bottles and working in the nursery. I'm the most excited about seeing her be a big sister.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Baby Fogue {36 Weeks}

I'm a little late getting this post out, this weeks update was met with one disaster after another. After overcoming two flat tires last week, our AC decided to go out at the same time our oven went kaput! All while this little stink of a head cold was starting to rear its ugly head. Hopefully, this is just getting the bad out of the way in time for our little boy to come into the world.

This past week, we were showered with gifts from our gracious Church ladies. It is such a blessing to have such a wonderful support group and great friends. Aspen was such a great big sister helping me unwrap the gifts and show them off. And here we are, right at week 36.

Baby Size: This week baby Wes is racking on the pounds and should be around the size of a cantaloupe at 6 lbs. He should also be maxing out his height at 19-22 inches, although I have a feeling this little fella is going to be on the tall side.

Symptoms: This week's new symptom is sciatic nerve pain. Thanks to baby Wes' growth spurt, he likes hanging out on that nerve which sends shooting pain down my leg. Speaking of legs, we can add swollen ankles to the ever-growing list of ailments.

Sleep: My 2 hours of insomnia at night continues to plague me this week. I'm certain at this point there is no cure.

Cravings and favorite foods: It's been a while since I've had one of those strong cravings, but this week I am wanting Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches. Usually I'm not a BBQ fan, so this is certainly one of those weird pregnancy cravings.

Mood: Impatient. This week my impatience with people has hit an all-time high. I apologize in advance.

Maternity clothes: I've hit a new stage in this pregnancy, I've outgrown my maternity clothes. With hopefully less than a month to go, I'm really against buying new clothes which means being creative with coverups and even going crazy casual in some of Chris' t-shirts.

Buying: This weeks purchase, well actually delivery, is the rug I ordered for the nursery. After 2 months and 3 missed ship dates, I finally received the nuLoom rug I ordered on Amazon Prime day. Just one of the last few finishing touches I've been waiting on for the nursery.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

How To Have The Best Yard Sale Ever!

What's the craziest thing a 35+ week pregnant woman could do? Sort through years worth of junk to hold a Saturday Yard Sale!?

Who is crazy enough to hold said Yard Sale? This chick! Yep, you can just pick me up and cart me to the nut house!

Aside from how crazy I felt pudging around trying to sell all my junk, we had a great day and sold quite a bit of stuff. And boy did we need it. Just as I was counting up our profit from the day, our oven decided to go out. So new stove it is.

I wanted to share a few tips on how we had the best yard sale ever, whether you're pregnant or not.

Just Call Me The Yard Sale Prepper

I had a years worth of baby clothes to sell, and this was a hot commodity. Our customers liked the organization behind our setup which allowed them to look through just the sizes they need. I started back when we were growing out of these clothes and had a plastic tote set aside for each size. This really helped when it came to Yard Sale prepping as I was able for to pin together outfits and lay them out while the onesies, pants and pjs were in the tote below. I labeled our table with the size and season.

I wasn't just organized with clothing, I separated all of our household items with like items. It helps your customers visualize more and in the end, hopefully, sale a little more.

"Do You Want My Crap?" Presale and Advertise

I think this approach had a large impact on our final dollar. I put social media to use in helping me spread the word as well as to sale some of our larger items. We posted in all of our local swap shops and community pages as well as our personal pages. I made it easy for our customers by providing a way to "reserve" their items with a Saturday pickup day. This was also a great way to tease what all we would have. I used Canva to make my postings and made sure that they were all the same so that people would recognize the separate listings. (Unfortunately, Facebook only allows 10 pictures per posting.)

Junk You Need! - Epic Signage

We are all drawn to pretty things, aren't we? So why not make your signs pretty and witty. Use a mix of fonts from hand script to block. Try to make the signs as big as possible. Also, have fun! We put the generic "yard sale" sign with our info out on the main roads, but in our yard, I took a cue from The Magic Brush and had fun, stop you in your tracks signs. It totally worked too. We had many customers say they stopped because of our junk signs.

Price to sale, but don't undervalue your stuff

Pricing for me is just plain hard. I'm not one to mark everything for 25¢, I know how much I gave for an item and marking it 75%-80% off even hurts. I wasn't afraid to be a little higher on some high-end items and to even say no to a few low offers. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were willing to give what I was asking. If it's worth it to you then it will be worth it to someone else.

Apparently only people in white cars Yard Sale

This last tip was a bit comical. Our big spenders all showed up in white vehicles. I'm not sure if there is a science behind this, but I feel like I've heard that statistic somewhere. So when you have your next yard sale and a white car drives up, be a little extra nice and accommodating, you may just score your biggest sale of the day.

I hope these few tips help you out the next time you decide to plunge forward with your own yard sale. They are a lot of work, but in the end, it's incredibly satisfying to clear out some of the junk you've collected and hopefully make a few bucks for something new and fun.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Baby Fogue {35 Weeks}

Getting past this week will be a huge milestone for myself. 35 weeks was the point when I had a brief labor & delivery stay and was put on bedrest for the remainder of my last pregnancy. Obviously the goal this time is to skip the bed rest! I have an appointment this afternoon so fingers crossed for me, please.

In other baby related news, this past weekend was the diaper shower for Baby Wes, he was sprinkled with plenty of diappies and other goodies.

Baby Size: This week Baby Wes is as big as a Pineapple and should be around 5 (large) pounds.

Symptoms: Can miserable be a symptom, because if it was that is my symptom this week. At this point Baby Wes is so big that there is no more room, every day is pretty much constant aches and uncomfortableness. I'm also pretty hormonal when it comes to the water works. I've spent many nights worrying about how my little girl will adjust and missing our time alone together.

Currently Missing: Life without grunting every time I have to move. But seriously, I'm ready for the end while at the same time, I'm pretty scared of how our family dynamics will change.

Sleep: This week I've actually been able to catch a few zzz's at night. Although it's the morning that stinks with the aches and pains.

Mood: Over this! Today means I have 35 more days until my due date, I'm entering the hardest part of pregnancy where you just feel miserable and tired.

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes these days are all about being comfy and finding something that still fits. My limited stash of clothes has obviously shrunk.

Buying: This week's purchases are all about mom's postpartum comfort. Be on the look out coming up for what makes it to my postpartum basket.

Aspens Reaction: This past weekend Aspen got a little practice on being a big sister with her new baby cousin Kellen. At first, she was very weary of the baby but after a while, she warmed up to him. We practiced being gentle with the baby this week and how we will care for him when he arrives.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

How to Decorate for Fall on a Budget

Like most first time homeowners, our décor budget is somewhat slim. I love seeing the years trends in glossy magazines, like the fabric wrapped pumpkins and fall leaves abound a beautiful mantle or tablescape. I could seriously let my mind take me away, my pocket book, on the other hand screams in opposition. Don't worry, there are still ways to create some beautiful fall vignettes around your own home even on a Dollar Tree budget.

So today, I wanted to share some of the tips and tricks I've found to add to my fall décor stash over the years. Ultimately it takes a little patience and doing little by little every year.

Tip #1 I have is to use what you already own. Simply rearranging your key décor areas can really freshen things up for a new season. Candles, mirrors, baskets and lanterns are great classic pieces that can move around from room to room pretty easily. You never know what fun combination you may come up with by just trying things here and there.

Tip #2 is to be creative. Burlap has become a classic fall staple. You can grab a yard from your local store for just a few dollars. Cutting it into triangles and using some craft paint to paint letters is a great way to make your own banner. Know someone who owns a Silhouette or Cricut? See if you could snag some vinyl letters to make a simple "thankful" sign from some scrap lumber.

Tip #3 Snag fun pieces from yard sales. Fall is a great time to find many yard sales and antique shows. This is a great way to find buckets, crates and bowls. Then, simply add some fall florals to it to make a perfect fall bouquet.

Tip #4 raid your grandmother's old stash. Eventually one day we will have piles and piles of décor staples that simply find their way to the back of a closet. But for us just getting our start, using this resource is an excellent way to add to your stash. I came home with bags upon bags of fall florals. Don't be afraid take things apart and repurpose. This filler I have in my dough bowls consisted of a cornucopia's guts and a baggie with a cute scarecrow on the front. I took both apart and used the florals and the pumpkins and squash to fill up the bowl.

Tip #5 is to make a stop by the Dollar Tree. They usually have a great supply of fall pieces for just $1. I found the small hay bells, crows and pumpkins there last year. I took several large and brightly colored Styrofoam pumpkins and spray painted them white.

Tip #6, online swap shops. Last year I scored a couple of boxes full of fall sunflowers and straw from left over wedding decorations. I came home and made them into small and large bouquets to place around. Be on the look out for items in unusual places.

Tip #7 mix it up! I love a blank slate when it comes to pulling my boxes of décor out each fall. I'm never one to put something in the same place year after year and really that's the fun of it all. Be as creative as you would like and it will all feel brand new each year.

I hope these few frugal tips help or encourage you in a time when your budget may not agree with your eyes. Have you found any steals this year? Let us know what you found and how you incorporated it into your home this year.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Baby Fogue [34 Weeks]

I'm a little late with this weeks update, Aspen is at her grandparents for the night so this pregnant lady decided it was time to clean all the floors in the house. You know, nesting and all. I also am having some self-esteem issues with the lack of my wardrobe lately, so getting this weeks picture was a process of it's own. Getting to the point where nothing fits just plain stinks.

On a positive note, I'm excited about this weeks coming Diaper Shower. We kept all of our big baby items and made sure we purchased them in neutrals. So I was only in need of diapers which seemed more fitting since this is our second. To coil my excitement, let's review the week.

Baby Size: What's more fitting for fall, then marking this weeks size to a butternut squash. Weston should be around 4.6 lbs and 17.7 inches long, all of which I feel stretched out under my ribs.

Symptoms: Lots of stretching and moving around happening this week. The poor kid has to be feeling squashed. Also, after a week or so of being heartburn free, it's right back today, boo.

Currently Missing: Being able to reach the floor. Picking up after a toddler is becoming a more and more daunting.

Sleep: I've resigned to the fact that my nights of decent sleep are over. I can try sleeping with pillows, rearranging the pillows and even without, everything still aches come morning time. It's just an impossible task these days.

Cravings and favorite foods: When heartburn doesn't deter me, sautéed onions are my craving this week. This was a love I finally found when pregnant with Aspen and they are still my favorite.

Mood: Impatient. This week I've been impatient with everything: time, people, the end of this pregnancy.

Maternity clothes: When you've reach the point of outgrowing all of your comfy clothes with only a month left in your pregnancy, you turn to your husband's closet. This evening I'm sporting an old pair of Chris' pajamas pants and one of his old college tee's. Thankful for his sharing, it's the little things that make me happy.

Aspen's Reaction: This week Aspen has been very excited about her new roll in our family. She spent Saturday on her Big Sister Day talking about her baby brother. It's now a daily request to have baby brother come out.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Big Sister Day

With the pending arrival of a certain baby brother, due in just the matter of a month, Chris and I agreed that some pampering was in order for the big sister-to-be. So Saturday we set out on a day full of adventures, Aspen style.

It's amusing what a two-year-old dreams up when you ask her what she want's to do on her special day. First, we were to spend the day coloring, then she wanted to go shopping for Barbies. We finally settled for tacos for lunch, followed by a fun day at the zoo and rounded it out with our first trip to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games.

I loved watching her explore around the zoo. Her excitement was contagious. We visited monkey's followed by the elephants, road the train and then saw the big cats. Afterwards, we had pizza for dinner with games and prizes.

It was a brilliant day, we loved spending time with our first born and showering her with love. It was also a great day of talking about the new baby and just what that was going to mean for life going forward.

We can't wait to add another little one to our family, but at the same time, it's sad watching our little girl grow up. I know she will be the best big sister. If you're a parent of more than one, how did your oldest adjust to the addition of a baby?

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